Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $741 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
Learn more

Rawang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Rawang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Rawang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $741 in Rawang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Rawang $741

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,183 in Rawang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Rawang $1,183

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,624 in Rawang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Rawang $1,624

Budapest costs about 118% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Rawang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.75 MYR 15.31

271.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.68 MYR 80.3

211.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.04 MYR 20.55

102.18%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.99 MYR 12.20

9.03%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.83 MYR 3.38

157.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.39 MYR 1.61

356.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.25 MYR 17.33

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.39 MYR 17.89

-14.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.95 MYR 7.96

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.04 MYR 4.26

72.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.76 MYR 7.19

41.48%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.23 MYR 9.08

74.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.15 MYR 57.7

-21.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.48 MYR 18.29

47.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.85 MYR 40.19

49.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.06 MYR 12.49

-40.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.84 MYR 7.49

11.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-9.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.44 MYR 5.89

170.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.32 MYR 5.37

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-24.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.18 MYR 4.80

33.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.57 MYR 2.34

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.54 MYR 18.53

75.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$19.13 MYR 78.1

-67.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.96 MYR 12.09

-57.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$5.09 MYR 20.75

-60.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.77 MYR 3.12

97.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$12.31 MYR 50.2

127.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.66 MYR 6.77

99.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.37 MYR 1.52

270.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.88 MYR 28.05

188.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.89 MYR 3.64

104.49%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$42.4K MYR 173.0K

-29.73%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.7K MYR 141.4K

-2.44%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.3K

$36.56 MYR 149

368.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.78 MYR 39.90

140.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$29.31 MYR 120

-20.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$39.87 MYR 163

69.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.13 MYR 29.08

164.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.90 MYR 19.99

89.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.3K

$301 MYR 1,227

77.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

53.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$59.8 MYR 244

66.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.75 MYR 146

21.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$82.6 MYR 337

33.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$70.9 MYR 289

67.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$140 MYR 569

495.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$103 MYR 421

502.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$577 MYR 2,354

176.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$232 MYR 945

405.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,051 MYR 8,368

184.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,090 MYR 4,445

256.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,035 MYR 4,223

59.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.18

54.31%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Rawang

$103 13.9% 83.4% $519

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Rawang

$266 35.9% 3.1% $7.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Rawang

$116 15.6% 48% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Rawang

$76 10.2% 65.3% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Rawang

$112 15.1% 33.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Rawang

$50 6.7% 42.3% $36

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 57.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $140 in Rawang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 60% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $20.00 in Rawang. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $266 in Rawang – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Rawang 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Rawang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,112 in Rawang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rawang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 128% less in Rawang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $301 in Rawang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rawang, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Rawang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rawang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rawang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.